Aston Martin Eyes Alabama for US Plant
Aston Martin is considering building a plant in the U.S.
Speaking to Automotive News Europe, CEO Andy Palmer confirmed that Aston Martin will make a decision on building a second factory by the end of the year. According to Palmer, the state of Alabama is the “obvious choice” for the new plant, although a final decision hasn’t been made and China is also under consideration. Palmer noted that Aston Martin is narrowing potential locations to regions where it plans to sell the most DBX models, the company’s crossover.
“Our principal customers will be in the United States and China,” he said, but noted that a Chinese plant is logistically more complicated than in the U.S. since the automaker doesn’t have an established joint venture in the country and it’s more difficult to export vehicles from China.
SEE ALSO: Aston Martin DBX Won’t Use Mercedes Platform
Aston Martin plans to launch the DBX crossover in 2019 as the company looks to increase sales to 15,000 units a year compared to 4,000 last year. Currently, Aston Martin’s plant in Gaydon builds all its vehicles but has limited room for growth. The option to expand the existing Gaydon plant is still on the table, but Aston Martin prefers to have an Alabama location that is close to where Mercedes-Benz builds its SUVs.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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Because they are building a plant in the same state as Mercedes Benz; Alabama State Port Authority is probably offering them a sweet deal on Port Of Mobile usage fees.